In the dispensing art, there are a number of known devices for dispensing measured amounts of liquid material. The present invention represents an improvement on liquid dispensers and will be illustrated and described with respect to soap dispensers commonly found in rest rooms and kitchens. However, it will be understood that the principles of the invention may have applicability to the dispensing of other liquids.
There are a number of soap dispensers commercially available, some of which are wall-mounted and include a base, which is adapted to be mounted against a wall or other vertical surface, and a cover. The covers are generally hinged to the mounting base and swing to an open position to permit loading into the dispenser and are closable to a locked position for operation. As such, the soap is often sold in replaceable containers such as collapsible bags with a dispensing tube extending therefrom and having a dispensing nozzle on the projecting end.
Examples of such dispensers can be seen in Potter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,517; Lippman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,515; and Kanfer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,749. These patents disclose dispensers in which a push bar is secured either to the cover or to the base member so that upon engagement and actuation of the push bar by the hand of the user, the dispensing tube containing the soap is collapsed so as to eject a predetermined portion through the dispensing nozzle at the end of the tube onto the hand of the user.
These dispensers are commonly located and used in many different environments. Particularly, they are often used in a hospital or restaurant setting wherein sanitation is of prime importance. To monitor the activity of use of the dispenser, various types of counting mechanisms have been associated with the dispensers. Examples of such dispensers are disclosed in Schroeder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,267; and Sears, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,659. Counting mechanisms are employed as a result of various regulatory bodies determining that, on average, sanitary requirements can be met with a predetermined number of hand washes per employee, during a predetermined period of time, such as an hour, a shift, etc. For example, if two persons are being monitored and the desired number of hand washes averages 10 per hour, the total number of hand washes involving the particular dispenser in an hour would be 20. Another requirement to ensure sanitary conditions is that the persons using the dispenser wash their hands for a predetermined period of time. This requirement ensures that each user of the device thoroughly washes their hands to prevent transmission of germs and infectious diseases.
The difficulty involved in measuring compliance with the requirement of ensuring the number of washes during a predetermined period and ensuring that the user washes his/her hands for a predetermined period of time is not readily obtained with any of the above dispensers. In other words, there is not provided a device which allows for overlapping of simultaneous washing by two individuals wherein each washing event is also counted. Nor is there provided a dispensing device which provides distinct and separate signaling of starting and expiration of the timers so as to alert the users.
Therefore, it has become apparent that it is desirable to be able to measure the number of uses of a washing machine and to provide a timing mechanism for two or more users of the same dispenser.